Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua review, photos, swatches

After my not so fun times with Chanel's Perfection Lumiere Velvet foundation last year, I wasn't ready to throw in the Chanel-ular foundation towel altogether. I've been wanting to get the Vitalumiere Aqua foundation for years now and finally bit the bullet in duty free on the way to Spain a couple of weeks ago. I picked up the lightest shade and was raging it was so hot and humid in Spain at night because I had to wait until I got home to test it out. Me and foundation when I'm sweating is not fun times.

I've heard many people describing Vitalumiere Aqua as being very skin like and that couldn't be a more perfect description. Buffed into the skin, it gives sheer coverage and is easily buildable if you need a bit more coverage. Usually for me that's on my cheeks and nose. Let the record show that the first time I applied it, I used my Beauty Blender which sucked up so much product that I was left with hardly any coverage on my face. So I use my Nima round topped kabuki brush and all is well in the world.

It's a water based foundation so it's important to shake the bottle well before getting stuck in. Speaking of the bottle, it's a grand one for travel as it's lightweight and compact. This means we'll have lots of room to take away more makeup with us. If you're not a fan of scented products then you might want to give this a miss, but let me tell you that it smells quite strongly of watermelon or some other fruit that I can't put my finger on. I absolutely love the fresh scent and am a little bit sad when it's gone by the time I've finished buffing it in.

I'm shade 10 Beige, the lightest shade and it's a perfect match. It's definitely one for days when I want to look effortlessly fresh faced and the subtle glow it gives adds light and radiance to my skin. It gives a really soft, natural looking finish to my skin and while I haven't tested it out on hot days yet (hello May and your hailstones and cold wind), it stays put for a good 7-8 hours once set in place with a powder. Without powder, I'm shiny a couple of hours after application.

All in all, it's a decent foundation. I don't think I'll repurchase it though because it doesn't have the wow factor for me at the moment. It's €40, so very very spendy and it hasn't made me stop wanting to try Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk or Charlotte Tilbury's Light Wonder foundation! And also, there are so many more affordable foundations that perform on par with this one. I'd save the €40, go into Boots and buy a full face of makeup with your cashola.

1 comment

I have always wanted to try this foundation, but knowing its sheer coverage puts me off. It looks lovely on you but €40 is a lot of euros..., I am oily 24/7 so doubt it would last on my skin.I have seen this sephora foundation that is water based that is meant to be lovely. Called infusion or something. I think i'll pick that one up as it offers more coverage. Then again I have heard amazing things about Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder....so many choices. Great review Karen :)